Pale Fire

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The music of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was composed by Gary Brooker and Matthew Fisher, while the lyrics were written by Keith Reid. Originally, the writing credits only listed Brooker and Reid. In 2009, Fisher won his battle to be recognised as co-writer of the music in a unanimous ruling from the Law Lords. Keith Reid got the title and starting point for the song at a party. He overheard someone at the party saying to a woman, "You've turned a whiter shade of pale", and the phrase stuck in his mind. The original lyrics had four verses, of which only two are heard on the original recording. The third verse has been heard in live performances by Procol Harum, and more seldom the fourth. Procol Harum recorded the song at Olympic Sound Studios in London, England. The recording was produced by Denny Cordell. Because they did not have a regular drummer, the drums were played by Bill Eyden, a session musician. The track was completed in two takes, with no subsequent overdubbing.

Reader's Guide

In 1977, the song was named joint winner (along with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody") of "The Best British Pop Single 1952–1977" at the Brit Awards. In 1998, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, the performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited recognised it as the most-played record by British broadcasting of the past 70 years and Rolling Stone placed it 57th on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2009, it was reported as the most played song in the last 75 years in public places in the UK. The song has been included in many music compilations over the decades and has also been used in the soundtracks of numerous films and television shows, including The Big Chill, Purple Haze, Breaking the Waves, The Boat That Rocked, Tour of Duty, House M.D., Memory, Martin Scorsese's segment of New York Stories, Stonewall, Oblivion, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's documentary series The Vietnam War, and the limited series The Offer and Billions. Cover versions of the song have also been featured in many films, for example, by King Curtis in Withnail and I and by Annie Lennox in The Net.

Did You Know?

• The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967 and stayed there for six weeks.
• The song's lyrics were written by Keith Reid, who got the title from overhearing someone at a party say to a woman, "You've turned a whiter shade of pale".
• In 2009, Matthew Fisher won a unanimous ruling from the Law Lords to be recognised as co-writer of the music.
• The song was named joint winner with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" of "The Best British Pop Single 1952–1977" at the Brit Awards in 1977.
• In 2004, Phonographic Performance Limited recognised it as the most-played record by British broadcasting of the past 70 years.